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Chinese cult leader faces criminal prosecution

Xinhua, July 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Wu Zeheng, founder and leader of the cult "Huazang Zongmen", is facing criminal prosecution along with several other suspected cult members, Guangdong police in south China announced on Wednesday.

Local procuratorate of the coastal city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province has instituted the prosecution for organizing and using cult to sabotage law enforcement, alleged rape, fraud, and production and sale of harmful food.

Wu, born in 1967, got his first police record for sexual assault at an early age and was later put in detention in 1991 for fraud and rascality. In 2001, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for illegal fund-raising and unlawful business operations.

Upon release from prison in 2010, Wu began to propagate the pseudo religion "Huazang Zongmen" as a lofty sect of Buddhism and claimed to be the successor of several eminent monks.

Also in the name of charity and life science and through inflammatory preaching, Wu lured a growing number of believers who wished to study Buddhism, seek disease treatment, or ward off ill fortune by joining the cult, according to the police involved in the investigation. Endit